Thorpe's final leg had the crowd of 17,500 howling as he tracked down Hall. ("The loudest noise I've ever heard in an arena," Hall of Fame former Boston Celtic John Havlicek, a spectator, said. "And I've heard some noises.") The finish was so close that all the competitors -- Thorpe and Hall in the pool, the others standing on the deck -- had to look at the scoreboard to see the result. The howling became a roar of national pride.

--from "Fast Lanes" by Leigh Montville, Sports Illustrated, September 25, 2000